Deuterium Effect on the Morphology of Magnesium Hydroxide Crystallization Process

Abstract

This work proposes that a change in deuterium content can affect some physical and chemical properties in water, even a change of only the ppm level, which is called the “deuterium effect”. To illustrate the deuterium effect, morphology and mechanism studies are conducted on the crystallization process of the magnesium hydroxide reaction in water with different deuterium contents. Magnesium hydroxide is synthesized via the ammonia method and hydrothermal method, and the results revealed that the particle size and crystal morphology of magnesium hydroxide prepared in deuterium-depleted water are significantly different from those of magnesium hydroxide prepared in normal water. By determining the solubility of magnesium chloride in water with deuterium content in the range of 40–165 ppm, the effect of deuterium on water activity is demonstrated. As the deuterium content decreased, the trend of the solubility change is the same as that caused by the increase in temperature. The crystallization behavior and growth morphology of magnesium hydroxide are predicted and analyzed at the microscale. The results of this research preliminarily confirmed the existence of the deuterium effect.